Day & date spikes Spain

Box office take hits high note

MADRID — Confirming a bumper year for U.S. movies released day-and-date in Spain, total 2004 admissions jumped 6% to 139.7 million, according to Nielsen EDI Spain. B.O. skyrocketed 10% to E681.2 million ($889.6 million).

The year’s ticket sales ended two years of declining admissions in Spain.

“The principle reason for the reversal is the large success of movies that came out on huge first-weekend print runs near to their U.S. bows,” said Nielsen EDI Spain managing director Jose Manuel Pimienta.

The only local film to make Spain’s top 10 was Alejandro Amenabar’s Javier Bardem starrer “The Sea Inside” (Mar adentro), with $24.7 million.

U.S. studios’ combined market share — including Warner Sogefilms, a joint venture with Spain’s Sogecable — rose from 73.3% in 2003 to 80.4% last year. This increase also reflects the absence of a “Lord of the Rings” pic, which was distribbed by indie Aurum.

Spanish films’ local market share looks likely to come in at just over 13%, down from 15.8% in 2003.